Fraiche- Culver City

Downtown Culver City isn't zoned for valet, so GameBoy dropped me off to secure our reservation, while he parked at a public parking lot down the street. Even though it was a before 7 pm on a Saturday night, the streets and sidewalks were alive with people- even more of a downtown than Downtown LA, and less shady!

I made my way to the resaurant, and was promptly seated. While our table was inside, the front is all windows that retract to open onto the large airy patio. It was a bit cold for a June night, but manageable. As I was waiting for GameBoy, the waitress brought out two half-glasses of complimentary champagne, which was a nice touch. GameBoy arrived shortly, and we examined the menu.

I have been rinking a lot at various happy hours this past week, so I suggested we forgo the drinks and focus on the food, which GameBoy happily agreed to do. We ordered two appetizers t split, the daily special of burrata with oven-roasted tomatoes and aged balsamic vinegar, and the beef tartare.

Though there was a bit of a wait for the food, we were kept happily occupied for a time with the bread and really yummy tapenade. Unfortunately, it was so good that we ate it all up right away, and it wasn't refreshed until right before our entrees come. Still, though excellednt people watching.

Our appetizers finally arrived, and I wasn't disappointed. The burrata appetizer came with two lumps of burrata- a little small- and tree tomatoes, making it easy for us to split. Since GameBoy paid for out meal, I don't know how much it was, but I'm pretty sure it was about e price of the buratta at SorTino, which gives you much more. Still, though, the tomatoes were great. The fava bean mash was okay, but really I'd like more burrata. Also, less mozzarella covering, more creamy burrata part.

The beef tartare, however, was my favorite dish all night. Two large pieces of crostini piled high with mounds of beef tartare. Instead of grinding the meat like most places, they diced it into small cubes, which showed off the flavor and quality of the meat much better. It also came with a small amount of arugula salad, which paired nicely with it. Definitely a must-get if you ever go here.

After another surprisingly long wait (especially considering how long it takes me to eat), our entrees arrived. I got the Kurobata pork chop, and GameBoy got the lamb stew. I had heard good things about the pork chop online, and wasn't disappointed. It was like taking the special pork at Santouka and eating a whole pork chop of it! Not surprising, considering that the special pork at Santouka is Kurobata, too, but, still....Tons of fat, I'm sure, which is probably why I could only eat half. But delicious. I savored every bite, and even hesitated before offering GameBoy some, becuase I know how he doesn't like fat. Trust me, this was the go type of fat. It was so good, in fact, that GameBoy's lamb stew paled in comparison. He said it was good, but I was too distrcted by my own food.

It was also a very filling meal, and after that, we skipped dessert and got doggie bags for our leftovers. Despite feeling very full, the memory of the yummy pork chop so lingered in my mind that when I woke up at 6 am the next morning, I had my leftovers with a few mimosas for brunch. In fact, I was so delighted by my experience, I half-jokingly suggested that GameBoy move to Culver City this year so we can go there more. I've heard all about the downtown gentrification, but Culver City seems to be where it's at for me...mmm..food. I'm nexly enthusistic about Culver City, and am already planning how I can check out the other places there!

Date of Visit: 6/11/07

Fraiche
Culver City, CA

Sushi Zo- West LA

Sushi Zo had gotten rave reviews from two of GameBoy’s friends, one of whom works for Bon Appetit (though in the marketing division). A quick search on Chowhound yielded very good reviews as well. GameBoy had been wanting to try it for a while, and last Saturday, we finally did. It’s located in a surprisingly shabby area of town, between Cheviot Hills and the Culver City/ Palms area, just east of the 10 on National. Though we were able to find street parking just outside, at 6 pm it was about 1/3 full, with an all-Asian clientele.

I’m not sure if it’s because GameBoy is white, or if we just looked clueless, but the first thing the hostess said to us was that this was not a place where they served California rolls or cut rolls. Familiar with the Sushi-Nazi reputation, we reassured her that we were still interested. Then came the next question- whether or not we wanted omakase. Though we had heard it was well worth it, the fact that a price wasn’t listed on the menu gave us pause. When we inquired as to the relative price, she told us it would range from between

$100-200. Though I understand that sushi can get pricey at top places, the location, florescent lighting, and unremarkable interior of Sushi Zo certainly did not warrant that price, especially since I had seen omakase menus as low as $65 at Sushi Sushi in Beverly Hills. Since GameBoy and I aren’t making that kind of money yet, we opted to just order a la carte.

Surprisingly, we were still seated at the bar, possibly because the tables were reserved. This is especially remarkable, because I’ve found that seats at the bar normally book up before table, since people prefer to banter with the chef. I began to understand, however, as we began getting our food. Though there were only four diners besides us sitting at the bar, the two sushi chefs ignored us, and we were forced to order over our shoulders to the waitress. Our only communication with the chefs were when we were gruffly instructed on how much soy sauce to use (or not use).

As I may have mentioned before, GameBoy is a bit slow at reading menus, and even I have to admit that the waitress came to take our orders way too fast. In contrast to, say, the impeccable timing at bushi-tei, the timing of the service here seemed calculated to make you feel rushed and unwanted. Since you order by the piece, it was difficult for GameBoy and I to coordinate our orders so that we both got food at the same time. I didn’t think this was as big of a problem as GameBoy, but then, I knew that they would serve one piece at a time, to ensure freshness, while he didn’t, adding to the confusion. While we could have just kept bothering the waitress for each piece, ordering from her made me feel like I should at least order a few each time, to save her time, whereas I would have felt fine ordering sushi one at a time from the bar. In any case, we didn’t enjoy ordering from the waitress at the bar. To make matters worse, there was a bit of a language barrier, and she didn’t get down all of our orders.

Once the sushi got ordered, however, it was quite nice. It was very good quality, but definitely overpriced for what we ate. GameBoy felt stressed about eating the sushi correctly, but I thought the little guide they had on the counter on sushi etiquette was helpful in maximizing my enjoyment of the experience.

Besides the pricing, which was too high for the service, atmosphere and location, I was also bothered by the fact that I had to keep moving to let the waitress remove my plate while I was still chewing. This may sound minor, but I like to savor each bite of sushi, not be interrupted. The worst was when I was prompted to order by the waitress when I was still enjoying my mirugai (giant clam).

Having gone to many Chinese restaurants, I am very familiar with poor service. While not atrocious, the service at this restaurant clearly needs some work. I left with the feeling that they were upset we didn’t go for the omakase, and that we weren’t particularly welcome there. The sushi was really good, but given GameBoy’s particularly negative reaction to the service at Sushi Zo, it might be a while before we go back.

Though it is possible we hit it at the wrong time, the flurry of negative reviews recently posted on Chowhound makes me think our experience was not unique. I think we’ll head to Sushi Echigo or somewhere else next time we want fine sushi.

Date of Visit: 4/7/07

Sushi Zo

9824 National Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034

(310) 842-3977

Hours:

Mon-Fri 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

Mon-Sat 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m